SURF'S UP
by Bard15
Summary: The only clue to the murder of a dead marine is a surfing competition sponsored by "Coral Prince" of Hawaii yeah, guess where this ones leading...
1. Chapter 1

**SURFS UP**

**Bard15**

**A/N**: I Was _**"REALLY, REALLY"**_ disappointed with the XO EPI...DANNY and DEEKS "should" have gotten along a whole lot better than it was written(although Sam taking the place of 'super-seal' to get on Danny's nerves was hilarious): they are both detectives...they are both constantly reminding their "crazy" partners of the questionable legalities of their actions...

To me Steve and Callen are a lot alike despite the fact that Sam is/was a SEAL like Steve...they are both the 'shoot first ask questions later type of guys-"procedure...who needs procedures..."

Of course it goes without saying that Deeks and Danny should get along...both dedicated detectives and they both "TALK" a lot! -Although, Danny's rants are definitely far more animated than Deeks.

Sam and Chin are a lot alike...both the "Voice" of reason and calm on their teams. (Along with everyone's favorite ninja lady—Hetty)

THAT "Danny Rant" being said...I'm gonna write me a cross over cause I have only found one so far that was a full team case story & that "DIDN'T" have any of that "DAMNABLY" annoying "shipping"! Gag me...BY THE GODS - **I hate all that romance shit...het or slash!—ruins a perfectly good case story!**

**ALSO—**I know absolutely nothing about surfing and it is just a means to an end to get the story going and get the characters together...so if there are any surfers out there—so sorry...

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

_Summary_: a murdered sailor, a murdered suspect—the only thing linking them; a surfing competition.

This is after the "small pox" XO so the teams are somewhat familiar with each other.

**...NCIS LA...NCIS LA...**

Deeks was staring at the waves wistfully as he and Kensi made their way down the beach...he was itching to get out on his board but this section of beach was closed to the public today for a surf contest and exhibition; another thing to cause a brooding sigh, as he was not participating...an LAPD undercover had kept him tied up and away from the beach for the past month and he had missed the contest registration.

Though he wouldn't be participating he was here because the NCIS tech...Eric Beale was and he wanted to support his friend and fellow surfer. And let's be honest, any day he could get his partner on the beach in her oh so skimpy bikini was counted as a win in his column.

"There's Nell," Kensi said, waving to the NCIS analyst.

"Hey, guys, glad you could make it," Nell said.

"What, miss a chance to spend the day on the beach with two beautiful ladies...and see Eric smoke the completion...the only thing better would be if I was out there too," Deeks said cheekily as he plopped down on the large blanket.

Both women just rolled their eyes at the detective.

"So when's Eric up?" Kensi asked.

"He's surfing in the second division...its due up at about twelve o'clock I think," Nell replied, looking through the program.

A moment later they saw Eric making his way towards their group, calling out as he did so, "Hey Deeks, got your board? They had a few contestants that were no shows so they are holding an open registration to try and fill the empty slots..."

Deeks eyes lit up, "Sign me up..."

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

When Eric and Deeks got the registration table, several surfers were arguing with the event coordinators...

"No, man...registration is closed...you can't open it an hour before the contest man..." one surfer was complaining loudly.

"The rules clearly stipulate that the amateur division can be opened up for an open registration if it is felt that there are not enough contestants in a division," one of the event coordinators was explaining, "And if you continue to cause trouble you can be removed from the roster..."

"You wouldn't dare..." the man threatened.

"Problems," Deeks broke in as he stepped up to the table.

Eying the angry surfer for a moment, the event coordinator turned to Deeks, "No problem...Mr. Ross was just taking his number and leaving..."

Scowling for a moment more, the surfer snatched the number out of the man's hand and stalked off. They watched for a moment before the coordinator turned to them, "Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, sign me up..." Deeks said with a smile.

After several minutes of filling out paperwork and going over contest rules the coordinator sighed as he handed Deeks his number, "Sorry to say you'll be surfing in Mr. Ross' division..."

"Ah, don't worry about it, I can handle him..." Deeks replied off handedly.

Frowning, "Just be careful...we haven't actually caught him breaking any rules...but he skates pretty close to the line..."

Deeks nodded, "Thanks for the warning..."

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIA LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

"So what's up Hetty," Callen asked as he entered Ops, "you are aware you gave us the weekend off..."

"The bad guys don't take weekends..." Hetty replied.

With a roll of his eyes and a smirk at his partner, Sam asked, "So what have you got Hetty?"

"Sgt. Joshua Patton...his body was discovered by some surfers this morning at Alameda Cove...LAPD called us when they found the Sgt.'s ID..." Hetty explained.

"And I take it, it's not considered a surfing accident," Callen asked.

"The two bullet holes tend to lend itself more towards murder, Mr. Callen," Hetty replied dryly, "LAPD is holding the crime scene for us."

The agents nodded and left Ops.

Once in the car, Sam said, "If the guy is a surfer, maybe Deeks or Eric know him..."

"Maybe...but there are thousands of people that surf up and down the coast..." Callen replied.

The crime scene was bustling with activity when the agents showed up...the county coroner readying the body for transport as they approached.

Flashing their badges, Callen asked, "So what can you tell us, doc?"

"The victim was shot once in the chest from what appears to be a high powered rifle...he was found at the shore line with his board still attached with the ankle strap, so he was most likely surfing at the time..." the coroner explained.

Callen looked at the body, then up at his partner, who was scanning the area..."no place to set up here without being seen...my guess is our shooter was over on that ridge; gives you a straight line of site to the waves..."

"A shot like that wouldn't be easy..." Callen added.

"Nope, whoever did this was well trained," Sam agreed.

The agents spent another half an hour at the crime scene, before heading towards the ridge across from the beach.

"Okay, according to the TOD, the currents, and wind speed, the shooter was probably in this 300 yard area to get a clear shot of where Patton would be surfing," Sam surmised, as he eyed the area critically...his SEAL training kicking in.

"And we're doing this instead of the techs because..." Callen questioned.

"Because it's going to be hard enough to find any evidence in this underbrush without a dozen people trampling over a potential crime scene," Sam said, waving to his right, "you go that way; I'll take the left..."

With a put upon snort, Callen turned in the direction his partner pointed and began a careful survey of the area.

Forty minutes later, Callen gave a self-satisfied smirk as he found indentations in the ground and marks in a tree, "Sam, got something."

After looking over his partner's find Sam surmised, "Looks like where our shooter set up post, good cover...clean shot to the beach...even a ready make tripod," he ran his hands over the naturally forming V-shape in the tree.

"Now can the techs have the crime scene?" Callen asked, "we need to check out Patton's place and talk to his CO."

"Yeah, gonna call Hetty, see if they have anything else...get the others in on this..." Sam said.

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

Kensi eyed the analyst curiously as she spoke on her cell, "Yeah, Hetty, we'll be there as soon as possible...Eric just finished up and Deeks is out there now...yeah, okay..."

"A case?" Kensi asked.

"A Sgt. Joshua Patton was found shot to death at Alameda...Sam and Callen already checked out the scene..." Nell said, "she wants Eric and I back to Ops to start running background...Sam and Callen are going to talk to his CO; she wants you and Deeks to check out his place and the beach...the guy was killed surfing."

Kensi nodded, "Will do...I'll get Deeks..."

"Hetty said to let him finish...ask around the competition, see if anyone knew him..." Nell said, as she gathered her stuff. "I'm gonna get Eric and head back."

"See you at Ops..." Kensi said, watching the tech leave before gathering her and Deeks belongings and heading towards the registration/judging tent to wait for her partner.

As she watched her partner surf, she gave a sigh of frustration, they had planned on getting together that evening to celebrate...Eric had placed seventh in his division and Deeks looked like he had a good shot of placing in the top five in his: now, it looked like they would be working-sometimes she really hated her job.

This was the last wave for Deeks division and she watched him ride the wave like he was born to it...which he probably was, she thought with an amused snort; they didn't call him their resident beach bum for nothing.

A sudden gasp from the crowd pulled her attention away from her partner and towards two other surfers to Deeks left; she didn't know much about surfing, but she did know that you didn't try to drop into someone else's wave—besides being considered extremely unsportsmanlike, it was also very dangerous.

She watched in growing horror as that's what the surfer did...when he dropped into another competitors wave it forced the man to veer off sharply to avoid being hit full on; that action dropped him right in Deeks path.

Along with a dozen other people, Kensi found herself running towards the shoreline, frantically searching for her partner, as all three men collided hard and went in the water.

She watched as several life guards hit the water, swimming to the three men's location, while two more powered up jet ski's to help with the rescue.

After what seemed like hours, but was actually minutes, she saw her partner bob to the surface; a jet ski roaring in his direction and pulling him on to bring him to shore. She made a frantic bee line to where the jet ski would come ashore, where medical personnel were already waiting...from what she could see her partner was draped, unmoving, over the seat in front of the life guard.

She pushed her way through the growing crowd as they gently laid Deeks in the sand to begin assessing his injuries...

"How is he," she demanded.

"I'm sorry miss you'll have to step back..." one of the life guards said.

"No, he's my partner...just tell me how he is," she again demanded, her eyes never leaving her still partner, as the medics put him in a cervical collar and rolled the unconscious man on a back board.

"You can follow your boyfriend to the hospital, ma'am..." the life guard instructed as he held her back.

"He's not my boyfriend, he's my partner," she said angrily, shaking off the man's grasp and pulling her badge, "NCIS, and I'm riding with him.

Having had their fair share of cops in their bus they medics knew well enough not to waste time arguing with a cop's partner, "Just stay out of our way."

Kensi just nodded mutely, following as they loaded Deeks into the ambulance.

After several minutes of watching the medic work, she finally asked. "So how is he?"

"He's sustained a serious blow to the head, his pupils are blown, definite concussion; probably took in some water while he was under...his pulse seems strong...doc's'll probably want a CT and lung x-ray."

Kensi just nodded, riding the rest of the way in silence.

After they whisked her partner past the ER doors and out of her line of sight she was jolted back to reality when a nurse handed her a clipboard of paperwork to fill out. Looking at the paperwork and remembering her partners sallow features, Kensi realized she needed to call Ops and let Hetty know of Deeks accident; let Sam and Callen know they would have to follow up on the dead Sgt.'s apartment (because she most certainly was not, under any circumstance, leaving her partner until she knew he was going to be okay).

"Hey Kens...what's up, you get something from Patton's place already," the cheery voice of their tech answered.

"Uh, no...we never made it to Patton's place; is Hetty there," Kensi asked tightly.

At hearing Kensi's tense tone, Hetty exchanged concerned looks with the two tech operators, before answering, "I'm right here Miss Blye, is there something the matter?"

"It's Deeks, there was an accident; another surfer dropped into his last wave...we're...we're at the hospital..." Kensi explained.

"How is Mr. Deeks," Hetty asked.

"Uh...don't know yet, they're still checking him out...he hasn't; he's been unconscious since they pulled him from the water...they're running a CT scan..." Kensi explained tightly.

"I'll inform Mr. Hannah and Mr. Callen...they'll meet you at the hospital shortly..." Hetty said.

"But the case..." Kensi interrupted.

"Can wait until we know Mr. Deeks condition...no one will be able to focus until we know his prognosis..." Hetty cut in.

"Thanks Hetty," Kensi said relief in her voice.

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

"Well that got us nowhere..." Sam grumbled as he and Callen headed back to the car.

"Nice guy, no enemies...desk job, no access to sensitive Intel...no girlfriend or jealous ex..." Callen grumbled right along with him.

"It had to be something...not just anyone could have made that shot, it wasn't a random hit..." Sam replied as he opened his car door. "Maybe Kensi and Deeks got something at this apartment..."

Callen just nodded and as he answered his ringing cell, "Yeah, Eric, what a' ya' got?"

"Callen, you and Sam need to get over to Community General..." Eric said worriedly.

"The hospital? What's going on Eric, what happened," Callen demanded, putting his phone on speaker and informing Sam, "Community General, now."

"It's Deeks; he was hurt at the completion. Another surfer dropped into his wave...Kensi is really shook up, they took him for a CT scan," Eric said, letting out a worried sigh he added, "he hasn't regained consciousness yet," Eric explained.

Exchanging surprised and worried looks, Callen replied, "we're on our way..."

...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...

Sam and Callen found Kensi sitting in the ER waiting area, her eyes glued to the bay doors.

"Kens, any word yet," Callen demanded as the two agents came up to stop in front of her.

"Nothing yet...he's still getting the CT; and they want to do a chest x-ray to check for water in the lungs...they say pneumonia is a possibility even if he didn't suffer a drowning; something about secondary drowning..." she reported.

Two hours later a doctor came through the doors, "Family of Marty Deeks..."

The three agents converged on the doctor, firing off a barrage of questions, "Can we see him?" "How is he?" "Is he gonna be alright?"

Holding up his hands in defense, the doctor said patiently, "Whoa, slow down, I will answer all your questions if you'll just follow me."

Once settled in a family room the doctor reached out and shook the agent's hands, "I'm Dr. Travis and I was Mr. Deeks attending."

The agents returned the doctor's handshake, introducing themselves as they did so.

"First off, Mr. Deeks is stable...the CT scan came back negative on any bleeds, but he does have a significant concussion and a deep gash on the side of his head that needed about eight stitches to close; we're more concerned with his lungs...while he didn't suffer a full on drowning requiring CPR, he still had significant amounts of water in his lungs...we will be monitoring him closely for complications and pneumonia."

"So he's going to be alright," Sam pressed.

"Barring any complications, Mr. Deeks should make a full recovery; providing he rests and follows doctor's orders," at the last statement the doctor eyed the three agents, asking pointedly, "is that going to be a problem...it says on his admitting forms he's an LAPD detective...which is not exactly conducive to bed rest and following orders..."

The three agents looked to one and other sheepishly, shrugging, Callen asking, "Speaking from experience?"

Nodding at the agents, the doctor said with smirk, "Some...I have yet to meet a cop that knows the meaning of the phrase 'take it easy and let yourself heal'."

"If our boss has anything to say about it, Deeks won't be leaving that bed until he is one hundred percent." Sam assured the doctor.

The doctor nodded, "We're keeping him in ICU overnight to monitor his lung function; if all goes well, we will transfer him to a regular room tomorrow and barring any complications we should be able to discharge him a day or so after that."

"Thanks doc," Sam said, shaking hands with the doctor again.

"Can we see him," Kensi asked.

"Follow me...I won't even argue with you about one at a time, but I will insist that you only stay for a short time..." Travis insisted.

After showing the agents to Deeks ICU cubicle, he took his leave.

Kensi immediately went to her partner's side, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze, "hey partner..."

Sam and Callen stood at the foot of the detective's bed, none of them could keep thoughts of the last time Deeks lay in a hospital bed from rushing through their heads.

Putting a comforting hand on Kensi's shoulder, Sam said, "Doc says he's gonna be fine."

"I know...but you didn't see it...how hard they hit..." Kensi replied. "Listen, guys, I'm gonna stay...at least 'til he wakes up..."

"Keep us updated," Callen said, as he and Sam made their way out of the room.

Kensi just nodded absently as they left.

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

Callen called and gave the Ops crew an update of Deeks condition, then filled them in on what they had discovered at the crime scene and their _less than helpful_ interview with the vic's CO.

"The vic was a surfer, you or Deeks know the guy," Callen asked the tech.

"Never met him, but I have heard of him, seen him in a few local competitions over the years...he was really good, had a real shot at going pro one day," Eric said, "and I found something interesting...he has a charge on his credit card for a registration fee...guys, he was signed up to participate in the surf contest today."

"The contest you signed up for...those locations are almost an hour apart..." Sam said.

"He probably went out to catch some waves early this morning before the competition," Eric supplied.

"A surf contest..." Callen questioned, exchanging a confused look with his partner, "...uh, was there a big money prize..."

"Only in professional competitions; this competition was one of five amateur competition held in California and all were sponsored by "Coral Prince"—it's a professional team based in Hawaii," Eric reported, adding, "the top two winners in each division win an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii to compete for open slots on the Coral Prince team."

"And you and Deeks both competed...you planning on leavin' NCIS Eric," Sam interjected with amusement.

"What...no, of course not, besides I came in seventh," Eric said quickly, "some of the best surfers on the west coast are competing in these competitions."

"And our victim was scheduled to participate in the competition today..." Callen clarified, asking Eric, "he good enough to win?"

"You think someone shot our vic because of a surf competition," Sam interrupted. "That shot that took out Patton was done by a pro...not exactly something a beach bum surfer could afford.

"Given a chance to make the professional teams with the prize money and endorsement deals that come with it...a person could make millions..." Eric pointed out.

"But a professional hit...kill someone on a 'maybe'...there would be no guarantee that taking out a surfer in the local competition would get you any closer to a spot on a professional team," Sam argued.

"We've seen people killed for less... and if Eric is right...someone has a million reasons to want to take any edge off the competition..." Callen countered, "...and so far we haven't found any other angle..."

Sam sighed, "yeah, we got nothing from his CO...he didn't have access to any sensitive Intel..."

"Eric...can you get us a list of competitors in the competition," Callen asked.

"Most of the registration data was hard copy...they keep records on their laptops...sorry guys..." Eric said, "Deeks division was the last competition of the day...if they're not still on-site the event coordinators have a suite at the Hilton on 7th Ave."

"Thanks Eric..." Callen said, hanging up the phone.

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

They drove by the beach; the event coordinators were gone so they scoured the beach for anyone who might be able to tell them anything on Josh Patton...

"Yeah, Josh rode those waves like he was born to them...he could have totally smoked his competition today; if anyone deserved a shot at making the Coral Prince team, it was him," the young surfer said, his voice a mixture of anger and sadness. "God, I so wanted to see him wipe Ross across those waves..."

"Ross, take it he and Patton weren't buddies," Callen pressed

"Definitely not...Ross was a real prick, ya' know...a wanna be; always trying to dump in someone else's waves..." the surfer explained, with a self-satisfied smirk, "he got it today though...got his sorry ass disqualified."

"What happened," Sam asked, exchanging a knowing look with Callen.

"Ross was real pissed, they opened up the registration in his division at the last minute...so he gets out there and dumps into another guys wave...caused a chain reaction...both the other guys ended up in the back of ambulances and he walks out of the water without a scratch," the young man explained.

The agents thanked the surfer and headed back to the car; Callen calling Ops, "Eric, get us everything you can on one of the contestants...a Taylor Ross, he apparently had a beef with our vic..."

"Wait...Taylor Ross...according to the press release put out by the event, Ross is the guy that caused Deeks accident today..." Eric said with surprise.

"So a guy that is a shoe in to win his division is murdered, then Deeks and another surfer in the same division are damn near killed by Ross' behavior; oh, yeah, we are definitely having a little chat with Mr. Ross," Sam said tightly.

"We're heading to the hotel now to talk to the event coordinator and get the participant list," Callen said.

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

Turned out the Coral Prince franchise could do one better than the coordinator of the contest, as they were ushered into the suite of the owner—Ben Bass.

"Ben, please," the young man said as he shook the agent's hands before ushering them to seats, "what exactly can I do for...NCIS?"

"Do you know this man," Sam asked, pulling up a picture on his phone.

Studying if for a moment, Ben handed the phone back shaking his head, "No...should I?"

"His name was Sgt. Josh Patton..," Callen said, "he was found about an hour up the PCH, murdered..."

"Murdered!" Ben exclaimed, running a hand through his short hair. "I don't understand; what's this got to do with me?"

"He was registered to compete in your surf competition today," Sam explained.

"We had close to fifty people competing in the LA competition today..." Ben replied absently.

"Yeah, but not all of them turn up dead," Callen put forth, pulling up another picture, "how 'bout this guy, you ever seen him?"

This time Ben gave them a positive reply, answering with barely suppressed anger, "Yeah, Taylor Ross...he's the competitor that was disqualified today; caused a major incident, sent two other competitors to the hospital..."

"Yeah, we know..."

"You think Ross did this, killed that guy..." Ben asked.

"Do you...is winning this competition worth killing someone over," Callen asked.

"Yes...no...I don't know...I mean this competition is one of five "Coral Prince" has sponsored on the mainland...we are looking to expand the Coral Prince franchise into California...we want to fill our vacant team slots with surfers from the mainland..." Ben explained. "Those surfers would have a spot on the team and get the endorsement for the California stores..."

"How many surfers we talking about," Sam asked.

"If all the winners show for the competition...forty; eight winners from each of the five competitions," Ben answered.

"So killing Patton wouldn't necessarily put Ross any closer to a spot on the team," Callen commented with frustration.

"No, winning here would just give him a chance to compete in Hawaii," Ben said, adding, "and then he'd be competing against about thirty other surfers."

"So that puts us back to square one," Sam answered with equal frustration.

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

"So Ross follows the "Coral Prince" competition from city to city trying to win a spot for the Hawaii completion, but can't quite make the cut..." Callen mused aloud.

"And according to Ben, this was his last shot to win a spot in the Hawaiian exhibition," Sam continued, "what I don't get is everyone we talked to said the guy was no good, even if he somehow made it to Hawaii, he would never have won a spot on the team?"

"Maybe it was all about getting to Hawaii," Callen said with a shrug.

"What, the guy can't just hop on a plane...it's not like you need a passport..." Sam reminded his partner, reaching to retrieve his ringing cell, "Yeah, Eric, Coral Prince is sending you copies of the participants list for all five competitions...and the winner's, run the names and see if anyone else pops out."

"Okay, thanks Eric," Sam said, pocketing his phone, "Eric got us an address on Ross..."

"Let's go pay Mr. Ross a visit..." Callen said, making a U-Turn in the street.

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

Both agents pulled their guns and exchanged grim looks as they approached Ross's apartment door and found it ajar.

They breached the apartment; a quick search turning up nothing but a very dead suspect...a gunshot to the chest.

"What the hell is going on here...?" Callen ground out in angry frustration, "First Patton, then Deeks; and now someone kills our only suspect..."

**TBA...NCIS LA & HAWAII 5-0...**

Sorry, no 5-0 in this chapter...hopefully by the middle of chapter 2...got to get those pesky case details worked out...

Did anyone catch the "guest" appearance at the hospital? Another favorite character I love to torture (under the penname ADSH, if anyone is interested...and I can only check reviews/PM's from the old account under Bard15 though—_**anyone know how I can get my old account merged with my new one? )**_

And I know, I got quite a few stories out there hanging, but ever since the XO epi I've been struggling with putting a case story together with the two teams...gotta see Steve & Sam go all "Super Seal" on their two teams (I just hope I can pull off a suitable and believable Danny rant when the time comes...)


	2. Chapter 2

**SURF'S UP**

/Chapter 2/

A/N: now for the 5-0 side of the case. Direct references/spoilers for 5-0 S2 E19, "Kalele".

**...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

"So what have we got Max," Danny asked the ME, as he and Steve came into the office.

"A body was pulled from under the pier in the warehouse district last night...when I ran the deceased prints I got a hit on one of 5-0's open cases..." Max explained as he pressed a few buttons on his computer.

The screen popped up with a picture of a young woman with long dark hair, causing Steve and Danny to exchange surprised looks.

Steve looked at Danny and pointed to the screen, "That's Angela Branson...from the diamond smuggling case..."

"Guess we know now why she never pinged any agencies radar..." Danny commented, "What' the TOD..."

"Taking into account water temperature and the amount of decay, I would put Angela Branson's time of death approximately two months ago..." Max supplied.

"You said she was found at the docks," Steve asked, "anything found with her?"

"No, just the body," Max replied.

"So that begs the question; where are the diamonds," Danny asked.

"Whoever killed Angela must have them," Steve supplied.

"Which means, after two months, they could be anywhere by now," Danny said with a frustrated huff.

"That much merchandise...it wouldn't be easy to move off the island," Steve countered, "not with those diamonds being on every agency watch-list, along with all the major 'fences'. We need to check with the other agencies, see if there has been any recent activity."

Danny nodded, pulling his cell and excusing himself to make a call to Chin to start the search.

Turning back to Max, Steve asked, "What's the COD..."

"Single gunshot to the chest, thought there is water in the lungs to suggest she wasn't dead when she went into the water," Max said.

"Have the report sent to the office," Steve said, "thanks Max."

Steve met up with Danny in the hall, "Chin's contacting the other agencies to see if they've picked up on any activity that would indicate the diamonds have been or are being moved."

"Good," Steve said with a nod, "my guess is whoever it is has been waiting for the heat to die down...they may even be looking for more non-traditional methods of getting those diamonds off the island."

"Non-traditional...did you just say non-traditional," Danny asked, "they're smugglers Steven, all their methods of moving things from point A to point B are 'non-traditional' for these guys..."

"Yes, Danny, but with every operation there are certain MO's, certain tried and true methods..." Steve explained somewhat impatiently. "You're a cop, you should know this..."

"I do Steven... I am well aware of the 'Modis Operandi' of criminals," Danny said, "I'm just surprised Mr. Gung-Ho Super SEAL took the time to figure that out between blowing things up and gun battles..."

"Ya know Danny, tracking down 'shoe-bombers'—not that much different than tracking down a domestic criminal..." Steve smirked.

"Except that we normal people do not interrogate suspects by hanging them off rooftops or blowing up metal door with grenades..." Danny ranted.

Steve continued to smirk, as he got to the car, "Potato...Pa-ta-toe...we catch the bad guys don't we..."

Danny just shook his head and looked to the heavens, "Why...why me..."

"Get in the car Danno, we need to go the shipping yard and see if they have and surveillance video of that area..." Steve said with a laugh.

**...H 5-0...NCIS LA...**

Back at HQ, Steve handed Chin a flash drive, "You realize, even with Max's estimated time of death, that's still a lot of footage to go through; this is gonna take a while."

"Right now it's all we got..." Steve said.

With a heavy sigh, Chin called up the footage, "I'll see what I can do."

"What about the other agencies...they have anything," Steve asked.

"I've placed a couple of calls to the FBI and CIA offices on the island...not holding out much hope of getting any straight answers," Chin huffed out with frustration, "I have Kono checking their web sites for BOLO's and alerts..."

Steve nodded, "I'll see what I can do..."

In his office, Steve dialed a familiar number, "Hannah."

"Hey, Sam—Steve," the commander greeted his old friend.

"Hey, Steve...how's it going...?" Sam asked.

"It's going good...you?" Steve returned.

"Can't complain...so what can I do for you commander?" Sam asked.

"What, I can't just call up an old friend..." Steve asked in mock offense.

"It's possible..." Sam said with a smirk.

"Yeah, fine...just need you to check in with your people...find out if there's been any chatter about any 'conflict diamonds' being moved out of Hawaii to anyone on your watch lists," Steve explained, "we caught a Liberian broker a couple months back, but he was double crossed by his partner...the diamonds disappeared."

"Ouch...twenty million...that could fund a lot of firepower..." Sam said grimly.

"Yeah, that's why we're trying to contact as many agencies as we can...have them red flag anyone that might show an interest; if these diamonds make it to a terrorist group..." Steve let the warning hang.

"I hear you, man," Sam agreed, "I'll run it up the chain...if I get anything I'll let you know..."

"Thanks man..." Steve said, ending his conversation with the NCIS agent.

Steve came out of the office to see his other three team members reviewing surveillance video from docks.

"You know, I think I know where else we can look," Danny said thoughtfully, giving a wave to his partner, "Let's go..."

"Go...go where," Steve questioned.

"To see August March," Danny replied.

"You do recall what the old man said last time we saw him..." Steve reminded his partner. "He has even less reason to help us this time; besides if he knew anything about those diamonds we would know it by now; we had him under surveillance for a month after the diamonds disappeared—he's out of the game..."

"Oh, and you believe him—he's a convicted criminal, they've been known to lie from time to time..." Danny said sarcastically. "No, I'd bet a year's salary that old man knows something about those diamonds...even if he isn't directly involved, he knows who is..."

Steve just shook his head, "he's a tired old man who served his time...what is it with you and Fryer—'once a criminal always a criminal' mindset you cops have..."

"Experience Steve...a leopard doesn't change its spots," surprisingly it was Chin who interceded on the argument, "not too many criminals drop out of the game completely...that's how we end up with informants. It can't hurt to talk to the old man again...now that Angela's body has turned up...the case is open again...it might shake something loose."

"Okay...alright," Steve agreed, "but he's not gonna want to talk to us..."

**...H 5-0...NCIS LA...H 5-0...NCIS LA...**

"Why would you think March knows anything about the diamonds," Steve asked with confusion, "we had him under surveillance for a month after the diamonds disappeared...nothing; the only thing the old man did was go the park and play chess."

"March is a smart man...he's not going to try to move that large of a shipment while he's still on our radar..." Danny explained as they boarded the elevator, "he spent 30 years locked up...waiting a few months for a 20 million dollar score wouldn't be anything for him..."

**...H 5-0...NC IS LA...H 5-0...NCIS LA...**

March opened the door to his apartment, frustration and surprise registering before he tried to close the door, only to be blocked by Danny sticking his foot in the door.

"Now is that any way to treat an officer of the law; makes me think you're not happy to see us..." Danny ranted lightly.

"I said I'm done...I helped you last time...I'm done," March huffed out angrily, "You promised never to bother me again."

"No, Steven promised...and Fryer promised...I, however," Danny said pointing to himself, "I never made that promise...now you gonna let us in or do we talk down at 5-0 instead..."

Grumbling March opened the door and stepped back, letting the two men into the apartment, "I don't know why you're here...whatever it is you want, I don't know anything; I told you, I'm out of the game..."

"Really, cause...well, I don't believe you," Danny said lightly with a small wave of his hands

"I don't care what you believe..." March snapped back. "I think you should leave now..."

Danny looked to his team mate with a sarcastic grin, "Whoa, leave, I don't think so. You don't even know why we're here..."

"Angela Branson's body was pulled from the water this morning..." Steve interjected. "The diamonds weren't on her..."

"And, not surprisingly, neither was any money recovered with the body...so that means whoever she sold them to double crossed her," Danny explained, "Poetic justice I think, but now you see our problem, we not only have twenty million in missing, untraceable diamonds out there, but we also have a murderer on the lose."

"And you think I know who shot her and took the diamonds," the old man asked emphatically. "How many times do I have to tell you—I'm out of that game...that life...?"

"See that's where you and I disagree," Danny said as he palmed his hands together and gently bobbed them in front of the older man, "I think someone who was in the game for as long and as deep as you were...I think you do know something; I think, no I'm pretty sure I know, that even if you didn't have anything to do with Angela Branson's murder and the disappearance of those diamonds, you know who did; and it's just a matter of time until we find them or trace you to them...then it's all over for you babe, and the next time I show up at your door it won't be for a social call...I'll have some pretty jewelry for you..."

The old man looked at the younger detective coldly, "You can always try young man...but you can't find what's not there...and if I'm really as good as you seem to think I am do you really think I'd be that easy to catch..."

"The caught you once..." Danny said.

"I think you should leave now...if I see you again our next conversation won't be so amenable," the old man said firmly.

"Come on Danny, let's go," Steve said, grabbing his partner's arm.

Danny just nodded, and the two men left the apartment.

Back at the car, Steve looked at the apartment complex then at his partner over the car roof, "Did I get it wrong or did the old man just threaten you..."

Danny ignored the question, saying instead, "we need to get HPD to set up surveillance on March again...he might just get a little impatient now that he knows the investigation is active again..."

"How did you know?" Steve asked.

"He's been too long in the game babe, it's in his blood," Danny stated, "Seen it to many times before..."

**...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

A/N: I know, slow going...soon I will have it all tied together and get our LA team to Hawaii...so I guess it makes it kinda obvious the direction this case story is going...so I'm gonna concentrate my efforts on the team dynamics...


	3. Chapter 3

**SURF'S UP**

/Ch 3/

A/N: sorry for the dearth of updates lately...our power and internet/cable/phone have been coming and going for the last week...yah, guess who was in the middle of the **big storm **that pounded the east coast last week...no a/c in 100+ heat was a real bitch—but man, the hurricane force winds and cracking tree branches was certainly a sight to behold...

A/N: so back to LA...after this chapter I should have the teams together...and someone asked for Deeks undercover as a surfer...just wait...he will definitely be involved heavily with this case...(and if it goes the way I'm planning the scene where the teams come together is gonna be...well, let's just say, Steve will have "a lot" of apologizing to do...'cause we all love Danny rants and super seals aneurism face...)

...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...

_Previously on NCIS LA..._

_Both agents pulled their guns and exchanged grim looks as they approached Ross's apartment door and found it ajar._

_They breached the apartment; a quick search turning up nothing but a very dead suspect...a gunshot to the chest._

"_What the hell is going on here...?" Callen ground out in angry frustration, "First Patton, then Deeks; and now someone kills our only suspect..."_

After calling LAPD for a CSI unit, Sam and Callen began searching the apartment.

"No signs of a struggle anywhere," Callen noted as he looked around the living area.

"So either he was surprised...or he knew his killer," Sam surmised as he flipped through mail and magazines on the breakfast bar that separated the living room from the kitchen area.

Callen was doing as similar search of the clutter on the coffee and end tables, "Nothing here..."

"Here either..." Sam said.

Callen moved off to the small bedroom while Sam began looking in closets and the bathroom.

After a few minutes Callen called out, "Might have found something..."

Sam found Callen standing near the bed, an open night stand drawer next to him and several sheaves of paper in his hands.

"What've you got," Sam asked.

"Not sure what it means but these are print outs of security protocols and baggage check procedures for LAX..."

Sam shrugged, "Well, the boy_ was_ trying to get to Hawaii..."

"But this isn't for regular baggage...this is for major shipments...like for a business, or shipping equipment...and here is a map of the business hanger, where gear and crates are stored; and the areas where the security cameras are located are marked."

"So, he needed to move something big in or out of LA," Sam questioned.

"But was it 'something' worth getting killed over," Callen countered the question.

"More questions than answers," Sam said grimly.

The rest of the search revealed nothing else of note and when the CSI team showed up the NCIS team turned the crime scene over to them and headed out...

"Eric, you got anything on Ross yet..." Callen asked, as he put his phone on speaker.

"Besides the fact that he walked away from the accident without a scratch and Deeks is in the hospital," Eric said tightly, "we got footage of the accident, it make the six o'clock news."

"He's got more than a scratch now...he's dead..." Callen commented.

"What..." Eric exclaimed, looking towards Hetty.

"Was that before or after you questioned him," Hetty asked casually.

"He was dead when we got to his place," Callen said, "single shot to the chest; same as Patton...LAPD will send over the report when they finish up..."

"Anything tying him to Patton," Hetty asked.

"We found something, just not sure what it means yet..."Sam said as he continued to give a brief description of what they found at the suspects apartment.

"I'll call LAX, see if there's anything in the shipment hanger with Ross's name attached," Eric said, adding, "I did run Ross's name...he has a record...mostly small time stuff...some B &E, selling stolen property...a few fights...weapons possession...served two separate prison sentences...one for 2 years, another for almost three."

"Find out who his cell mates were..." Callen directed the tech.

"Will do...where will you be..." Eric replied.

"We're going to check out Sgt. Patton's place now..." Callen said.

...NCIS LA...

They pulled up in front of the Sgt.'s modest house some thirty minutes later...finding a similar scenario; as the front door showed definite signs of tampering.

Drawing their weapons for the second time in as many hours they entered the house...this time finding an area in total disarray; books knocked from shelves, furniture tossed and torn, drawers pulled and dumped.

"Someone was certainly looking for something..." Sam commented.

Callen moved to the computer desk and tapped a few keys, "looks like they found it, hard drive has been erased..."

"Maybe Eric can get something off of it..." Sam commented.

As with the search of Ross's apartment, the search of Patton's apartment revealed nothing else of note and when the CSI team showed up the NCIS team turned the crime scene over to them and headed out...

**...NCIS LA...**

"Got a present for you, Eric," Sam said, putting the hard drive on the table..."whoever searched Patton's place, wiped the hard drive...we're hoping you can work your magic..."

"I'll see what I can find in the operating system..." Eric replied, adding, "...meanwhile, LAPD sent over a preliminary report, they found Sgt. Patton's car, it was also broken into; whoever did it left money and an expensive camera..."

"Anything on the camera," Callen asked, trading a look with his partner.

"Nope, it was missing its video card," Eric supplied.

"So, a missing video card and erased hard drive...maybe he snapped a picture of something he shouldn't have..." Sam mused aloud.

"So, anything on the names we sent you from the competition," Callen asked.

"I've got the computer running all the names...it will be awhile, I'm running close to two hundred names of all the participants," Eric said.

"We're not going to solve this case in one day gentleman...it's late..." Hetty said. "Perhaps, you can go and convince Miss Blye to go home and rest."

**...NCIS LA...**

"You could just toss her over your shoulder and carry her out," Callen offered, as they stood outside the glass slider that led into Deeks room.

"I'd like to keep me limbs attached thank you very much..." Sam shot back without amusement.

Callen just shrugged and slid the door open...surprisingly it wasn't Kensi that stirred from the uncomfortable way she was curled up in the chair near the detectives bed, but rather Deeks who turned bleary eyes towards them.

They smiled as Deeks raised his lower arm and gave a weak wave, before letting it fall heavily to the bed, "Hey guys..."

The detective's voice was weak and breathy around the oxygen mask.

"Hey, Deeks, how ya' doin'," Sam asked quietly, as he and Callen came to the end of the bed, trying not to disturb Kensi.

Giving a weak, but cheeky grin he pushed the mask to one side and rasped out, "...don't know, is it time for my sponge bath..."

"You might want to stay away from water for a while..." Callen said with a chuckle, "but really, how' you doing...you took quite a hit out there today..."

Deeks furrowed his brow in thought as he took a deep breath and tried to lever himself up into more of sitting position, the accompanying wince brought Sam to his side, pressing the button to raise the bed, and snapping the mask back on his face he scolded the injured man, "lay still and leave that mask on...you damn near downed and had your head knocked off today..."

"Okay, must be why there is a percussion band playing in my head..." Deeks huffed out, looking at his sleeping partner for a moment before moving the mask again, asking, "...so, the last thing I remember I was riding a wave, then I wake up here feeling like I was hit by a bus...someone want to fill in some of the details..."

As Callen was filling in the detective on the day's events, the voices roused Kensi, "You're awake...how are you feeling..."

"I'm fine, Fern..." Deeks said with a grin.

The scowl not covering her worry, Kensi scolded, "Don't ever scare me like that again...I'm going take your surf board away from you..."

Eyes raised in mock horror, Deeks said, "No, not the board...guess I'll just have to settle for chasing bad guys with guns..."

"That's so not funny..." she replied angrily.

Seeing his joke fall flat he reached for Kensi's hand, "Look, I'm sorry for worrying you...but it was an accident..."

"We're not too sure of that..."Callen interjected.

"What..." Kensi exclaimed, causing Deeks to wince at the loud outburst.

"Ross, the guy that caused the accident...found him murdered a few hours ago...and another interesting thing-he had had a few run-ins with our earlier vic...Sgt. Patton..." Sam explained.

"You think there's a connection between Patton and Ross' murder's," Kensi asked. "What ties them together?"

"Not sure yet, just seems too much of a coincidence: we found a lot of things that don't add up—with Patton or Ross..."

"So what's the connection between Patton and Ross" Deeks questioned skeptically, "two guys just happen to have a few run-ins on the surf and you think it's related; if that's the case you better put me and several dozen other guys on your suspect list...it happens, you get someone out there that thinks they own the ocean; hardly worth killing over..."

"Wouldn't be too sure of that, that surf competition is the only thing that is a common to both men; and according to Ben Bass, there could be a million reasons to kill someone to win this competition" Callen said as he went on to fill in Deeks and Kensi in on their conversation with the owner of Coral Prince.

"Well, right now it's not anything for you to worry about..." Kensi said.

"Hey, I'll be outa' here in no time..." Deeks argued lightly, grinning, "...besides who knows more about surfing than me..."

Sam and Callen exchanged amused looks before saying, "Eric."

"Yeah, we'll, you have him chained to a computer all day...not gonna help you on the sand..." Deeks retorted. "Just spring me and we can't get this show on the road..."

"Oh, we'll spring you alright—the moment the doc says you can leave," Sam said with a grin, "...and then it will be home on bed rest for the next week, til we know your head wasn't turned to mush..."

"What...no; bed rest...really...come on guys...we have a case..." Deeks whined as Sam pulled out his phone.

"No, we," Callen began, pointing between the three agents, "we have a case; you have doctor's orders to take it easy..."

"I can sign myself out..." Deeks pouted.

"You most certainly will not, Mr. Deeks," a distinctive voice said from the phone Sam now held up and had on speaker.

"Ah, Hetty...hey..." Deeks said, "Listen, they're over exaggerating...I'm fine-really..."

"To the letter Mr. Deeks..." Hetty warned, "I've already spoken with your doctor...he has my permission to sedate you to keep you in that bed..."

The agents couldn't help but grin at the shocked look that came over Deeks face, "What Hetty...you, you wouldn't dare..."

"Try me..." the woman said with a smile in her voice.**

Deeks opened and closed his mouth several times, finally just settling on a pout and a deep sigh.

"As for the rest of you... a good night's sleep is in order, I'll need clear heads for this case come morning," Hetty ordered, adding, "that goes for you too Miss Blye."

Now it was Kensi's turn to imitate a fish out of water, causing Deeks to grin.

"We're going Hetty, see you in the morning," Sam said, ending the call.

They bid Deeks good night and in turn Deeks gave them a little wave and a chuckle as he watched Sam and Callen come up on either side of Kensi and loop an arm around each of her arms and lead her from the room.

**...NCIS LA...**

Sam and Callen entered Ops together the following morning.

"Hey Eric, get anything off Patton's computer," Callen asked.

"Lucky for us, whoever tried to erase Patton's hard drive obviously didn't know what they were doing," Eric began, his fingers flying over his keyboard, "now, most of the information was destroyed but I was able to find and hack into his cloud account..."

The main screen popped up with dozens of pictures...showing Ross with several other unidentified me.

Turning to his partner, Callen said grimly, "ID these men..."

"...and we might just find out killer..." Sam finished.

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...**

a/n: sorry the chapters kinda lame (and short)...but gotta lay that groundwork and this chapter was really hard...promise it will get better soon. I'm hoping to tie the two cases together in the next chapter...so hopefully it will be longer...

**remember from epi—"Personal", Hetty is now listed as Deeks NOK and no doubt also has his POA in medical matters.


	4. Chapter 4

**SURF'S UP**

/Chapter 4/

A/N: hold tight, we're still in LA...but we'll be back in Hawaii soon...promise...case details play out so much quicker on screen than on paper...

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...**

_Previously on NCIS LA..._

"_Lucky for us, whoever tried to erase Patton's hard drive obviously didn't know what they were doing," Eric began, his fingers flying over his keyboard, "now, most of the information was destroyed but I was able to find and hack into his cloud account..."_

_The main screen popped up with dozens of pictures...showing Ross with several unidentified men. _

_Turning to his partner, Callen said grimly, "ID these men..."_

"_...and we might just find our killer..." Sam finished._

_..._

"So a question now, were Patton and Ross working together on something or was Patton following Ross and saw something that got him killed," Sam asked aloud.

"Got facial rec up and running...if these guys are anywhere in the system I'll find them," Eric said.

Several minutes later a few new pictures, DMV records and other documents popped up on the screen.

Sam raised an eyebrow, "That was fast..."

"That's because it didn't come from the facial rec program, it came from the competition rosters I've been running," Eric explained, "...I set it up to automatically cross reference names, and pull up any relevant data..."

"So, what'd you get," Callen asked.

"Two of the people with Ross in Patton's photos are...Victor Pratt and Jim Richards...according to these documents, both ex-cons and just like Ross; both competed in the Coral Prince competitions..." Eric said

"Nothing illegal about that...last I checked surfing wasn't illegal, even for an ex-con," Sam commented.

"No, but, they wouldn't exactly be prime candidates to represent Coral Prince on the mainland either," Eric commented, "wouldn't look real good for the PR campaign if your surfers were felony, ex-cons..."

"Anything specific in the rules about people with a record competing," Callen asked.

"Well, there's nothing that says that they can't compete, but there is a section the participants fill out about past misdemeanors, traffic tickets and such and it also allows Coral Prince to run full background checks on the winners," Eric said as he skimmed his computer screen, " and our guys left that section blank."

"So, maybe Patton found out they were ex-cons; threatened to expose them," Sam postulated.

"But why, it would only be important if they win, Patton would have known that; and even without Patton, Coral Prince runs the background check...finds their felony convictions, most likely getting them disqualified, if for nothing else, lying on the application..." Callen said. "So, what would be the point of competing?"

"And, the fact, we've got not one, but three, ex-cons competing in a competition that even if they win they can't collect the prize..." Sam said slowly.

Eric chimed in slowly, "...but, that's just it, they both did won... both came away with second place in their divisions: Pratt in San Diego and Richard's in San Francisco...**and** the background checks on both of them came back clean," he ended in surprise.

"How, this is not making any sense," Callen ground out, running a hand down his face in frustration, "was it their real social security numbers that Coral Prince ran?"

"It's their real numbers on the applications," Eric supplied.

"So, our boys show up clean...sounds like they might have had a little help," Sam commented, pointing to the dozens of photos on the screen, "maybe one of those other guys..."

"So maybe Patton found out that these guys had a little help covering up their records..." Sam said.

The computer dinged again on another of the unidentified men in the pictures, "...and I think I know who; the guy in a lot of these pictures with Ross and his buddies; it's Gordon Jensen—none other than the coordinator of the competitions...and hired to do the PR campaigned for the new Coral Prince stores..."

"And who would be in charge of running the background checks..." Callen commented knowingly, looking towards Eric.

"The coordinator...Gordon Jensen," Eric supplied with a grin.

"So, somehow Patton finds out that Jensen covered up the criminal records of Ross and his buddies...he turns them in and they all lose the chance to compete in Hawaii, " Callen mused.

"So the question is, what does this Gordon Jensen gain by helping out these guys," Sam commented with a shake of his head, "just getting them to Hawaii doesn't guarantee them a spot on the team; they still have to compete against forty other surfers."

"Eric, run a full background on Jensen **and** the entire Coral Prince franchise...let's see what shakes loose..." Callen directed, then seeing a confused look on the tech's face asked, "...something else?"

"According to the notations on these rosters, neither man originally placed second; originally Pratt placed third and Richard's fourth," Eric supplied.

"Does it say why," Callen asked.

"No..." Eric replied.

"Can you find out who the original winners were," Sam asked.

"Yeah, I can go into the specific competitions records," Eric said as his fingers flew across the keyboard.

"So the guy most likely to win the LA competition is gunned down, then two more are seriously injured...putting Ross in the running for a trip to Hawaii with his two friends..." Callen mused aloud.

"Except that he ends up dead too," Sam interjected.

"Okay guys, in San Diego...Pratt was moved up to second place after the second place winner...John Marsh dropped out..." Eric reported.

"Any reason given," Sam asked.

"Nope, he cited family issues..." Eric said, moving on to the other man, "Jim Richards originally placed fourth in San Francisco...was moved up to second when the second place surfer...Mickey Price, was killed in an automobile accident and the third place winner just seems to have disappeared...never returned the paperwork, and after forty-eight hours they removed him from the winners list."

"Looks like winning this competition could be hazardous to your health," Sam commented.

Nodding toward the screen where the facial recognition was still running for the fourth man in the pictures, Callen said, "Maybe when we ID him we'll get some answers."

"Not much else we can do right now..." Sam commented.

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...**

Sam and Callen stepped into Deeks room and were surprised to see Ben Bass, the owner of Coral Prince, in the room.

"Hey guys," Deeks said with a wave.

Bass looked at the two agents in surprise, turning back to Deeks, "you know these guys?"

Before Deeks could answer, Callen stepped forward, "we questioned Mr. Deeks after the accident ..."

Frowning, Ben asked, "Why?"

"In an ongoing murder investigation everything is relevant...he was in the same division as Sgt. Patton and Ross, and now both of them are dead..." Callen said pointedly.

Ben started to nod, his face showing sudden surprise when what Callen said registered, "Wait...Ross, the guy that caused the accident; he's dead...how?"

"Murdered...just like Patton..." Callen said pointedly.

"Murdered," Ben shook his head in dismay, catching the expectant looks on the two agents faces he said skeptically, "wait...you think; you think this has something to do with the competition—that's crazy!"

"Is it...these two men, so far, had absolutely nothing in common—except your competition," Sam commented, throwing a quick look to his partner: while they knew the PR manager was somehow involved they had no idea where, if anyplace, Ben Bass fit into the picture.

"So that's it, they were both surfers—and you think because of that, its connected to my competition," Ben said tightly, surprisingly echoing Deeks earlier sentiments, and adding, "I'm not a cop, but that seems a rather tenuous connection."

"We're just investigating all the angles, Mr. Bass," Callen stated.

"What angles...?" Ben exclaimed impatiently, waving his hand wide, "what I see are cops grasping at straws...I don't need you harassing my surfer's..."

Sam and Callen exchanged looks, before Callen asked, "**Your... **surfers...just why exactly why are you in Mr. Deeks room anyway?"

Ben just shook his head angrily, glancing at the injured man in the bed, who shrugged and said, "Mr. Bass has just informed me that due to the accidents and disqualification of Ross—apparently, not that it matters, since he's dead; anyway, I am now in the second place position in my division-"

"And you accepted," Callen asked.

Sensing the agents working an angle he asked, "So, does that make me a suspect if I say yes...?"

"Should you be, Mr. Deeks," Callen shot back with a raised eyebrow, adding, "but we do have some questions for you..."

The agents turned to Bass, who turned to address the detective expectantly, "So then, I'll bring by the paperwork later, Mr. Deeks?"

Seeing Deeks nod in the affirmative, Ben then gave a hard look towards the agents, "...and if you require any assistance, please feel free to call my office."

Deeks grinned and reached out to shake Bass's hand, "I'll let you know, Mr. Bass...and thank you."

With one last look at the agents, Bass left the room.

"So guys, what's going on..."Deeks started to ask only to be interrupted by an angry Sam.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Working the case," Deeks replied innocently.

"From your hospital bed," Callen accused.

"Hey, I didn't go looking for it—the opportunity came to me," Deeks defended, "with Patton and Ross dead, you're theory that it has to do with the surf competition is looking more likely...now we have someone on the inside...me."

"You plannin' on going clear to Hawaii to solve this case..." Sam asked.

"Hey, if that's what it takes...but why would we need to go to Hawaii to find Patton and Ross's killer," Deeks asked, adding, "...and what's the deal anyway, you didn't want Bass to know we knew each other..."

Answering the first question, Callen said, "...because Ross was our only suspect..." the agent went on to fill the detective in on everything else they had discovered about Jensen, Pratt and Richards.

"So we have a lot of questions and not a lot of answers..." Deeks commented thoughtfully.

"And we have no idea if Bass is involved," Sam added.

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

a/n: damn, but this chapter was hard to write...trying to provide just the right amount of "clues" without being overwhelming or omniscient is freakin' hard...sorry its taking so long...5-0 will be involved again soon—I promise-


	5. Chapter 5

**SURF'S UP**

/Chapter 5/

**A/N**: First up...sorry for the delay in update...RL and writer's block are a real bitch. School started, and I also have to take a grad class for re-cert, and learn a whole new set of standards.

That said there is something I need to get off my chest...a review/comment does not have to be a "flame" to be offensive...(and I had "2" offensive comments)...so to be clear- I DON'T DO SHIPPING—I HATE & ABHOR THE CHARACTER OF KENSI—HELL WILL FREEZE OVER BEFORE ANY OF THAT "**DENSI SHIT"** EVER MAKES IT INTO ONE OF MY STORIES !

_**Hawaii-**_

Chin lowered the binoculars with a sigh, "We could watch this guy for months before we get anything..."

"Got any better ideas," Danny asked, adding, "...what about the dock surveillance?"

"The program is running...cross referencing the video feeds against pictures of Branson and March—so far nothing."

"Well, we knew it was a longshot...she could have gone in the water anywhere along those docks," Danny grumbled, noting that the older man was not really listening to him he prodded, "what are you thinking?"

"If March did kill Branson and take those diamonds, to get back in the game he's gonna have to make new contacts on the island...he doesn't have the network or sources to move those diamonds without help, he's been out of the game to long; most of the contacts he had have moved on or are dead," Chin explained thoughtfully.

"Yeah, so what are you thinking," Danny asked his fellow detective.

"Maybe instead of leaning on March we should be looking at the ones who filled his shoes when he was sent up," Chin said, "if March wants back in he's gonna have to team up with the new players...and he's too careful to just trust anyone with 20 million in diamonds, he's gonna want to know who he's dealing with every step of the way..."

"So we need to find out who has that kind of connections; that can move that much product," Danny said with a nod of his head, asking the native detective, "Got anyone in mind?"

"There's a couple of a guy," Chin replied.

**...Hawiia 5-0...NCIS LA...**

Later that afternoon, Steve and Danny entered 5-0 to see Chin standing at the smart table, a deep frown marring his features as he studied several open files.

"Problem Chin," Steve asked.

"Found a few names...but HPD hasn't entered all there files of older cases into the system, Kono had to go to HQ to get the paper files on some of these guys," Chin commented grumpily, "what's amazing is how many people stepped in and carved out a piece of the action after March was arrested...they weren't kidding when they said he held the largest share of the smuggling on and off the island; at least a dozen people carved out a piece of March's business after he was incarcerated."

"A dozen," Danny exclaimed, "...we could be months getting a bead on that many..."

Chin nodded, "and I don't think we have a month...with Angela's body being found, reopening he investigation, whoever has those diamonds are gonna want to move them out fast."

"And that's still assuming they haven't been moved out already," Danny interjected glumly.

"So, anyone stand out," Steve questioned as he moved up to look at the open files on the table.

"We can rule out four of them right off," Chin replied, as he put all the photos of suspected and convicted smugglers on the view screen, "Jackson Rush is small time...mostly antiquities stolen from the islands; same with this guy, Paul Talbot: Paul Woo was busted about two months ago and is still incarcerated waiting trial: this other one, Kakemono died in an auto accident about a month ago."

Clapping his hands together in frustration, Danny looked at the photos on the screen, grousing, "so what, only eight more to go...that'll only take, what weeks...don't have the time or manpower to put eyes on all of them..."

"Okay, then let's try this...if we're going on the assumption that March has those diamonds and that he needs a partner to move the product...lets go back over the surveillance footage and see if any familiar faces pop up." Steve suggested.

"You realize that's almost two-months, worth of footage and pictures," Chin pointed out.

With a sheepish shrug, Danny pointed to the smart table, asking, "So how many programs can that 'thing' run at a time?"

Steve just chuckled when Chin rolled his eyes and shook his head at Danny's comment, "I'll run any footage HPD took; you, Steve and Kono get to go through the pictures."

The rest of the afternoon was spent going through the hundreds of surveillance photos taken of March: near dinner time the team met back up.

"Okay, the photos I've gone through of March have one thing in common—this woman," Danny said, "and always on the days he went to the park to play chess."

"She doesn't show up on any of the surveillance at his apartment," Chin commented.

Kono and Steve, neither, had seen the woman in any of the photos taken of March around the island.

"Okay, so who's our mystery lady," Steve asked.

Chin cleared the table and began running facial rec on the woman, getting a hit several moments later...pulling up DMV and tax records.

"Julia Stone, 42; has lived on the island for the last twelve years, formerly from LA—works for 'Islander Import Export Company..." Chin said.

"Please tell me that that is a front company for smuggler..." Danny asked hopefully.

With a nod and a small smile, Chin replied, "Islander Import Export is owned by Terrance Davenport...and yes, HPD suspects it of being a front company for smuggling...the guy's very careful though...never been caught..."

"And I bet that's why," Steve commented with a nod towards the screen, "he uses go-betweens; if they get caught he can disavow any knowledge of the smuggling."

_Ding, ding, ding_...the smart table sounded; pausing the conversation.

The others watched expectantly as Chin worked the board, a triumphant grin crossing his features as he replaced Julia Stone's info on the screen, "we have a winner..."

The four officers watched the dim, grainy surveillance feed from the warehouse district...they clearly made out a woman, who they assumed was Angela Branson, standing by a pylon, apparently waiting on someone. Several moments later a man came into the picture, his back to the camera...

"Same size and build as March," Kono commented.

They watched as the woman opened up a case to show the man, who nodded then did the same thing with a small briefcase; eliciting a large smile from Angela. The pair then exchanged 'merchandise', talked for a few moments more before the woman turned to walk away.

The saw the woman stop and turn back to the man, a look of surprise on her face before being suddenly flung backwards and off the dock, two bullets hitting her center mass. The shooter stood still for a moment, before walking the few steps to pick up the case and turning to walk away...giving the cameras a clear shot of the shooter.

"August March..." Danny said as Chin froze the video, a clear shot of the older man on the feed.

"So he did take the diamonds," Kono commented with mild disappointment, "and he was such a nice old man..."

Steve was shaking his head, silently sharing Kono's sentiment; he too had liked the old smuggler.

The two more seasoned detectives looked at their friends apologetically, Danny commenting, "...look guys, we're really sorry about this but we did warn you..."

"Yeah, a leopard can't change its spots...we get it," Steve grumbled.

"Don't assume an old criminal is any less dangerous than a young one..." Chin commented, "...in his day, August March was as ruthless as they came..."

"He killed Angela Branson without batting an eye," Kono said flatly.

Clapping his hands together, Danny questioned, "So, now, how are we gonna handle this...we've got him for murder and the theft of the diamonds..."

Chin's look was thoughtful, "the surveillance pictures tend to suggest that March has already been in contact with one of _**the**_ top smugglers on the island..."

Steve was nodding, "so you're thinking to let this play out...catch March and Davenport with the diamonds..."

"It could be a chance to take down **a major** smuggling operator on the islands," Chin finished.

"Do we have Stone and March exchanging anything in the photos," Steve asked.

"No, she shows up in about a dozen photos...mostly just playing chess with the old man...no indication that any merchandise exchanged hands," Danny reported as he flipped through the photos he had.

"So, March still has the diamonds," Steve said.

Kono shook her head, "What's he waiting for?"

"March and Davenport, they have one thing in common—they're careful and don't trust anyone..." Danny said, "...they are probably feeling each other out...and even being well connected, twenty million in diamonds is not easy to move."

"So we keep eyes on March and Davenport...Branson's body showing up is gonna put the heat on...March is gonna want to move those diamonds and get off the island as soon as possible," Chin said.

...hawaii 5-0...ncis la...

Surveillance was quickly coordinated with the HPD; the 5-0 unit taking Davenport as March was already familiar with their faces.

Several hours into the stake out, Danny lowered his binoculars, a frown crossing his features as he thought aloud, "If this guy has made it to the top of the food chain and held onto it all these years he's not stupid...we know he uses go-betweens to keep from getting his hands dirty; and HPD has a file on the guy a mile long-he has to know he's on the HPD radar..."

"So..." Steve prodded when Danny trailed off.

"So, I'm thinking that for a job this big he's not gonna risk his shell companies—if this deal with March were to go south he'd lose everything..." Danny said.

"So, what are you thinking...?" Steve asked curiously.

"The last surveillance photos of Stone and March were taken five days ago, while the first photos taken were about ten days after March killed Angela Branson...so, I'm thinking that maybe you were right..."

Steve smirked gleefully, "I was right about something...do tell, Danno..."

Returning the smirk, Danny continued, "yeah, don't get used to it super-seal; anyway...I'm thinking that Davenport and March have been going back and forth for almost six weeks..."

Catching on to his partners thinking, Steve continued, "so you're thinking that they are working on a different means of moving the diamonds than what Davenport usually uses."

Danny nodded.

"Great idea...but then that puts us back to square one...how and when are they moving the merchandise," Steve commented.

"Well, we can rule out any of the other players...neither of these two strike me as the 'sharing' type," Danny said, "I'm sure their plotting how to take each other out..."

Steve nodded, asking, "...that's definitely a possibility...so then how would we even know what to look for?"

"If HPD suspects Davenport of smuggling, they must have a file and surveillance...we see who Davenport has been in contact with..." Danny explained.

...hawaii 5-0...ncis la...

The HPD file was indeed extensive, going back almost six years.

"This is going to take days to go through..." Chin exclaimed quietly.

"But you live for this stuff..." Danny commented, waving his hands at the smart table, "running all these programs..."

Chin just rolled his eyes and shook his head, a satisfied look crossing his features as he plopped a small shoebox size cardboard box in Danny's waving hands.

"What's this," Danny asked, eyeing the box suspiciously.

"The audio..."

Peeking into the box, Danny exclaimed, "There's like ten discs..."

Nodding, Chin said innocently, "yeah...that's only the last two-year's worth..."

Groaning, Danny growled, "...this could take days..."

"It can't be all car chases and hand grenades, brah..." Chin chuckled.

"By all means," Danny back pedaled, waving the small box, "give me good ol' boring...safe...police work any day..."

Chin nodded, still grinning as Danny turned to head for his office, snagging Steve as he came through the office door, "Come on partner...we got real police work to do-and leave the hand grenades in the drawer..."

Chin just quirked his head and chuckled as Steve sent him a 'help me' look.

**...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

**Closer to having the teams together...  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**SURF'S UP**

/Chapter 6/

_Los Angeles—_

The agent's investigation into the murders of Sgt. Patton and Taylor Ross had hit a wall...having nothing more to go on until Eric was finally able to ID the fifth man in the photos.

"...Vincent Mallory, a known gatekeeper for all things illegal coming and going out of the west coast; he's got an FBI file..." Eric reported, "...seems he'll move anything for anyone for the right price—antiquities, drugs...weapons...; he'll get your merchandise distributed through-out the US or out of the country..."

"And we've got Jensen and his surfer pals meeting with him on multiple occasions..." Sam commented.

"...so, we have a known smuggler meeting with the Public Relations director of a surfing team," Callen continued, "a team that just happens to travel around the world..."

"Sounds like a good cover," Sam said, "who's gonna suspect high paid surfers of smuggling..."

"...or check the surf boards and other gear of the team..." Callen finished the question.

"And Richard's and Pratt, how do they fit into all of this," Sam mused aloud.

"Maybe help safe guard the merchandise, help deliver it to the buyers?" Callen postulated, frowning he asked, "...the question is-is it Jensen that needs to move merchandise or Mallory?"

"Any indication that Bass has anything to do with this," Sam asked Eric.

"Ben Bass inherited the business from his father...who's in prison in Hawaii for murdering his business partner..." Eric stated, adding with some surprise, "and the man who also happened to be Ben Bass's 'real' father..."

"Murder!" Sam said in mild surprise, "...anything besides adultery trigger the murder...maybe a business deal that went south?"

"From everything I can find on Ben Bass was on the surf team in his teens and early twenties...apparently had a falling out with both men over the manufacturing practices for their clothing line; he quit the team and became an environmentalist..." Eric reported, "...he didn't get back into the business until the murder."

"Doesn't sound like a candidate for smuggling..." Callen commented as he moved closer to the screen to look at the multitude of photos on the screen and pointing to several, "Can we find out who Jensen's been calling?"

Fingers flying over the keyboard, Eric soon had Gordon Jensen's phone records up, hi-lighting multiple calls to Hawaii.

"If the owner is here in LA then who does Jensen need to call back in Hawaii?" Sam asked.

"The phone number is registered to a Julia Stone," Eric reported, and moments later a driver's license and other documents popped up on the screen, "Julia Stone was originally from LA, moved to Hawaii about twelve years ago...she's been employed by 'Islander Import Export Company' for about eight years."

"Sounds like a fancy name for 'smuggling'," Sam surmised.

"Who owns the company," Callen asked.

"That would be this man...Terrance Davenport..." Eric said, pulling up another DMV photo.

"And what do we know about this guy," Callen asked.

A few minutes on the computer and Eric gave a smile of triumph, "Sam guessed it...Davenport is under investigation by the HPD for suspected smuggling."

"This really isn't clearing anything up...who wants to move merchandise—Mallory or Davenport?" Sam asked in frustration.

A thoughtful look on his face, Callen clarifies their findings, "we've got a PR man for a surf team meeting with a known LA fence then contacting a woman who works for a suspected smuggler in Hawaii...sounds like they want to use the surf team as a cover to move merchandise..."

"If Jensen is working for Davenport and planning on using the surf team why meet up with Mallory...why whitewash the histories of Pratt and Richards?" Sam asked.

"Think about it...the team in Hawaii, they're already established...already known by Bass..." Callen put forth.

"Jensen and Davenport need someone on the inside to help them move the merchandise..." Sam said, "...someone they control."

"That would also explain the 'accidents' that moved the two men up to second place..." Callen said.

"Earning them spots for the competition in Hawaii," Sam agreed with a nod, adding, "that still doesn't guarantee them spots on the team though."

"Maybe just getting them to Hawaii is enough," Callen said, a question in his tone.

"So then it's Mallory that's moving merchandise, using the surf competition as cover," Sam questioned.

Callen shook his head, "Too many questions and not enough answers. Eric, dig deeper into all these guys...find us a connection..."

Eric nodded to the agent and went back to his computer.

With a grim look, Sam commented, "we have a man on the inside that can get us those answers..."

Sharing his partner's grim look, Callen said, "Deeks."

"Mr. Beale," a voice from behind the men startled them, causing a small smile to play across the diminutive woman's face as she strode purposefully into Ops.

"You do that on purpose," Callen groused.

Hetty just smiled and turned to the expectant tech, "Mr. Beale, if Mr. Deeks is to get anything on our smugglers they need a reason to trust him..."

The tech nodded, understanding the operations managers request to manipulate Deeks file to make him more appealing to the criminal element.

"You realize that we are going to have to follow this Op all the way to Hawaii..." Callen said to the Hetty.

Hetty quirked her head, "Is there a problem with that, Mr. Callen...you've been to places far less hospitable...; if these men are responsible for the death of Sgt. Patton and may be smuggling anything from drugs to illegal weapons we need to catch them."

Turning to Sam, Hetty continued, "perhaps your 5-0 connections can provide you with assistance; and you can finally collect on the steak dinner the commander owes you."

Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise at the gently smile on Hetty's face, and then looked to his partner, who just shrugged.

"I suggest you go fill in Mr. Deeks on his assignment," Hetty said expectantly.

**...ncis la...hawaii 5-0...**

The two agents met up with Kensi, who was pacing outside of Deeks ICU bay.

"Everything okay," Sam asked.

"Yeah, they're getting him ready to move to a regular room," Kensi said, "doc thinks he can be discharged tomorrow."

Callen nodded his tight look setting of Kensi's radar, "What's up?"

"How's he doing, really," Callen asked.

"Uh, fine...doc says his lungs are clear...just the concussion and the cut to his head: why...what's going on," the younger agent asked, her eyes going back and forth between the two men.

"Is he up for an undercover," Callen asked.

"What...undercover, Callen he's still sitting in the ICU..." Kensi exclaimed quietly.

"But the doc said he was doing okay; he's being discharged tomorrow," Callen pressed.

Crossing her arms and taking up a stance in front of Deeks room, Kensi glared at the two men, "What is going on..."

"Eric ID'd the fifth guy in Patton's photos...a known LA fence, Vincent Mallory...and it turns out Jensen was in contact with a suspected smuggler in Hawaii..." Sam summarized.

"So this case is about smuggling," Kensi commented, "what are they moving?"

"That's just it...we don't know," Callen interjected, "Mallory is known to move anything from antiquities to arms..."

"And you need Deeks to go undercover to find out..." Kensi finished.

"He's already in...he's got a spot in the competition," Callen said, "we just need Jensen to have reason to approach Deeks."

"How you planning on doing that," Kensi asked suspiciously.

"Eric is already working up Deeks background...playing up some of his near misses and other problems with LAPD," Sam supplied.

Frowning, Kensi said, "Like the whole Fisk case..."

Callen nodded, "we're hoping they'll be looking for someone to replace Ross..."

"You know, there is a good chance that is was Jensen or one of the others that killed him for screwing up," Kensi reminded.

"We know...we'll have eyes on him the whole way," Callen said, "and Sam has a call in to his friend at 5-0..."

"McGarrett," Kensi questioned.

"Yeah, they said he was on a stake out...he'll get back to me," Sam replied.

Further conversation was cut off when the curtain was pulled back and the slider opened, the doctor coming out first.

"They're moving him to his new room, 427," the doctor said, "I'll be back to check him at dinner then again in the morning; if all looks good he can be discharged tomorrow afternoon."

"Thanks doctor," Kensi said.

The three agents stepped out of the way when the orderlies came out pushing Deeks bed; he eyed them with surprise, frowning a little at their tight looks.

"Am I dying," he asked, "what's with the grim faces...?"

"No, shaggy, you're not dying," Sam grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

"Everything alright," he pressed.

"Everything's fine," Kensi said.

The detective eyed the three agents skeptically, before Callen interjected, "Let's get you settled, and then we'll talk."

...ncis la...hawaii 5-0...

"Is that all," Deeks exclaimed some thirty minutes later, after being settled in his new room and hearing an update on the case, and his undercover assignment, "geesh, the way you were lookin' at me I thought I was dying or something...I already accepted Bass's offer to keep on the case...turns out it was a good call..."

"Yeah, well, we're going into this with more questions than answers," Callen warned, "we don't know what's being moved or who it's for: we're not even sure who's calling the shots on this—Davenport or Mallory."

"That's kinda the point of undercover...to get those answers," Deeks said, still put off by the tight looks of his team, "...what, you think I can't pull this off or something?"

"No, it's not that...it's..." Kensi looked to the other two.

"This case nearly took you our before we even knew it was a case..." Sam finally said.

Understanding finally dawning, Deeks said, "guys, I'll be fine...you said it yourself, Ross is dead—he won't be dumping into anymore of my waves..."

"We figure it was the people he was working with that took him out for screwing up..." Callen said pointedly.

"Ahh, point taken—these guys don't mess around," Deeks replied, adding cheekily, "but, I've got three of the best agents watching my back...what could go wrong?"

Sam just shook his head in bemusement, "don't jinx it shaggy."

...xxxxx...

Further conversation was interrupted by Sam's cell; looking at the CID he nodded his head, "Hey, McGarrett..."

"_Hey, Sam...got your call...what's up," Steve asked._

"What do you know about 'Island Import Export'—owned by a Terrance Davenport," Sam asked.

"_Davenport...what's your interest in Davenport," Steve asked guardedly._

"His name came up in one of our cases..." Sam replied, asking, "...sounds like you've already heard the name?"

"_We got a bead on those missing diamonds I called you about, we think our suspect is using Davenport to help him get them out of the country," Steve supplied. "How'd you get his name?"_

"This is getting complicated...look, why don't I call you back when we get back to Ops...say in thirty," Sam said, "sounds like we're working the same case..."

"_I'll have Chin set it up on our end...see you in thirty," Steve answered._

...ncis la...hawaii 5-0

Once back at Ops the conference call was established between the two teams.

"Hey, McGarrett...we got enough bad guys...you don't need to be sending us any of yours," Sam teased when the 5-0 team appeared on the Ops screen.

"Yeah, tell your bad guys to stop aiding and abetting ours," Steve shot back with a smirk.

"Gentlemen," Hetty said, drawing them back to the case at hand.

The two teams were amused to see the two SEALS shuffle like chastised school boys as Hetty continued, "it's good to see you again Commander McGarrett and hello again to you detective Kelly, detective Williams..."

"This is the other member of my team, officer Kono Kalakua," Steve said.

Hetty nodded to the young woman, saying, "...you already know Agents Hanna and Blye...this is agent Callen and our technical operator and analyst—Mr. Beale and Ms. Nell."

The teams nodded as Hetty got down to business, "it seems, commander, that we have overlapping cases..."

"Yes ma'am it appears that way..." Steve said and proceeded to fill the Ops team on their previous case involving Steve's sister, Mary, and the attempt to force his sister to smuggle conflict diamonds to the mainland..."

"I hope your sister has recovered from her ordeal," Hetty commented.

"She's doing fine...stayed on with the airline," Steve replied.

"That's good to hear...do continue," Hetty said.

For the next twenty minutes the 5-0 team took turns filling in the NCIS team on August March, the diamonds, Angela Branson's murder, and the surveillance that lead them to suspecting Terrance Davenport.

"But since he's under investigation by the HPD he needs to find other ways to help March get those diamonds off the island," Chin said, finishing 5-0's report.

Nodding, Sam said, "...well, we think we know how they're planning on sneaking it past security...what do you know of the Coral Prince surf team hosted by Hawaii?"

"What's Coral Prince have to do with it," Kono asked sharply.

"Problem," Hetty asked, seeing all of 5-0 stiffen and trade skeptical looks at the mention of the surf team.

"Ben Bass wouldn't have anything to do with diamond smuggling..." Kono said vehemently.

"And you would know this how," Callen asked.

"Kono used to surf for Coral Prince...we've known Ben Bass for over ten years..." Chin explained.

"Then you're aware his father is in jail for murdering his business partner..." Callen commented evenly.

"It was 5-0's case," Steve said tightly.

"Look, we're not looking at Bass as a suspect...we're looking at his PR man—Gordon Jensen," Sam interjected, trying to ease the sudden tension between the teams, "we were investigating the murder of an off duty marine, Sgt, Josh Patton...we think he was killed because he took photos of Coral Prince's PR man in a meet with a well know LA fence—one Vincent Mallory."

Sam nodded to Eric, who proceeded to pull up the photos he got from Patton's cloud account.

"Who are the other guys with Jensen and Mallory," Danny asked.

"Victor Pratt and Jim Richards...both ex-cons and both just happen to win slots for the big competition in Hawaii next month..."Eric reported, adding for both teams, "I did some digging, and it turns out Richards was in the military...specifically trained as a sniper, and was given a dishonorable discharge about twelve years ago..."

Sam and Callen exchanged knowing looks, "there's our shooter..." Sam then proceeded to fill 5-0 in on the investigation into the Sgt.'s murder.

"Okay, so how does Mallory and Jensen tie back to our guy, Davenport," Danny interjected.

"I traced Jensen's cell calls to a Julia Stone..." Eric explained.

"Of 'Island Import Export'..." Steve interrupted.

"Owned by yours truly...Terrance Davenport," Danny finished the thought.

"So, you're saying that Gordon Jensen is the go-between between Davenport and Mallory and that they are planning on using Coral Prince to move the diamonds," Kono summarized, "I gotta tell Ben...he needs to know..."

"No, he doesn't, at least not yet...we can't risk Mr. Bass exposing our man," Hetty said.

"What...are you saying you have someone undercover...?" Steve said in surprise, "how did you manage that already..."

"An advantageous fluke, allowed our man to win a place in the Hawaiian a competition...and we're hoping with a few well-placed incentives, Jensen and the others will hire on Mr. Deeks for their operation."

"Deeks? Wait, Deeks, isn't that your liaison officer," Steve commented, looking at Sam, "...he's not an agent, he's a cop..."

"And that's a problem..." Danny interjected, "uhm...you forget **your team** is comprised of highly trained police officers...and just wait til you met the guy...definite beach bum vibes..."

It was then that Danny realized who was missing from the briefing, "where is the beach bum anyway..."

"He suffered a small mishap during the competition...he will be with us shortly," Hetty said as way of explanation.

Realizing that was all they were going to get on the subject of the missing liaison, Steve asked, "so what's the plan?"

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...**

a/n: sorry it took so long-but, yeah, the teams are finally going to get together. Took me a bit to get the bad guys stories to mesh together, I think I finally have the details worked out.


	7. Chapter 7

**SURF'S UP**

/Chapter 7/

"How are you Mr. Deeks," Hetty asked the following morning when the detective and his partner came into Ops.

"Fine Hetty...no lasting damage," the detective replied.

"That is good to hear...has Mr. Bass been in contact with you," Hetty asked.

"I'm supposed to meet him at the hotel at two to sign the papers...then there is a meeting of all the contestants in two weeks..." Deeks explained.

"That should give you time to find an 'in' with our suspects," Hetty said.

"So—what's the plan," the detective asked.

**...ncis la...hawaii 5-0...**

Despite his injuries, Deeks rode his wave like he was an extension of the water itself...coming into the shore with a huge smile. Though the team would never tell him, they admired the skill and grace the detective had as he rode his board.

Planting his board and toweling off he noted his team spread out along the beach and neighboring pier; after having spent another full day pulling together everything the two teams knew about their suspects (and Hetty forcing Deeks to rest), they were now on the beach, and had been for the last three, waiting for Jensen or the others to approach him.

Looking up and down the crowded beach, Deeks made a show of tossing down his towel before putting on his sunglasses and running his hands through his wet hair; using that action to surreptitiously put in his comm. The detective then picked up his cell and putting it to his ear, "this is the best undercover I've ever had...we need more cases like this one...getting paid to surf..."

"Yeah, don't get used it shaggy..." Sam muttered from his spot on the pier, fishing pole in his hand, he gave the pole a little shake, "what is the point of this...if I want fish I go to the store..."

"Some people find it relaxing," Callen commented, teasing in his voice.

"How come G gets to be the lifeguard," Sam complained.

"One of my aliases actually has the certification," Callen smirked, adding, "We all can't be wine connoisseurs..."

"Shut up G," Sam grumbled.

"Gentlemen," Hetty interjected a gentle warning clear in her tone.

"At least you have some place to hide a gun," Kensi said from her place under an umbrella in a barely there bikini.

"It's been three days Hetty, are you sure Jensen is gonna take the bait...he's had to have run the background check by now," Deeks cut in, adding lightly, "are you sure Eric made me unsavory enough..."

"You didn't need any help with that one Deeks," Sam chimed in.

"Ah, you wound me big guy..."

"I assure you, all the things that would get our suspects attention were added to your profile Mr. Deeks," Hetty said.

"Show time guys...I see Jensen..." Eric's said, "he's approaching from the east end, near your location Sam..."

"Got him..." Sam said.

"Mr. Deeks," Jensen said as he came up to the detective.

"That'd be me." Deeks said, holding up a finger, "yeah, yeah, you'll see me when I get there...bye."

Deeks tossed the phone on top of his t-shirt and shorts, then picking his towel back up, before asking off handedly, "and you are..."

"Gordon Jensen, I am the public relations coordinator for Coral Prince," the man said, holding out a hand.

Deeks gave a quick shake, "so what can I do for you Mr. Jensen, I already talked to Mr. Bass and signed the competition papers."

"Yes, well, as you know Coral Prince is a word renowned surf team...we have high standards and expectations of our surfers...not just on the surf, but off..." Jensen began.

"I'm not following..." Deeks commented, wanting Jensen to spell it out for the surveillance evidence.

"It's my job to see that the team's reputation is above reproach..." the man hedged.

"You saying that I don't meet the high standards of a surf team...I'm a cop, who better than that to be 'above reproach'," Deeks shot back.

"A cop that has twice as many reprimands as he does years of service," Jensen said, "not one, but two IA investigations, and shooting an unarmed man...seems you're not quite sure what side you work for..."

"How the hell do you know all that...those records are interdepartmental," Deeks ground out, feeling a little uncomfortable at how well Eric seemed to have padded his LAPD file in such a negative light; it certainly gave one incentive to always stay on the tech's good side—the boy could ruin your life in a keystroke, "and besides I was cleared of all charges..."

Jensen ignored the detective's angry tirade, instead saying, "Cleared? No, Mr. Deeks there is difference between being exonerated of charges and simply not being able to find sufficient evidence for a conviction: and if I can find that information so can the paparazzi...but that's not the issue: you worked extensively undercover...correct...?"

"Yeah, so..." Deeks hedged, wondering at the man's angle.

"I imagine you know quite a few 'less than reputable' individuals," Jensen continued.

"What the hell are you going on about...I'm competing in a damn surfing contest not running for president," Deeks snapped.

"As I said, I am responsible for seeing to it that nothing tarnishes the image of the Coral Prince franchise...if Mr. Bass were to see your file, he would not be pleased..." Jensen said.

"And you're gonna show it to him..." Deeks huffed out, deciding it was time to sell the cover of a cop on the edge, "Come on man...this is my chance to get outa' this place...a fresh start...you're right, I'm to the point where my colleagues are more likely to shoot me than the scum bags I arrest...I need this shot..."

Jensen acted as though he was considering it, "I can give Bass a white washed profile—if...you can do something for me..."

"What," Deeks asked warily.

Jensen smiled, "Your extensive skill set would be most useful to my employer..."

"Bass...yeah, that's where the surfing comes in dude..." Deeks shot back sarcastically.

"Mr. Bass is not my 'primary' employer..." Jensen hedged, "my employer has far bigger enterprises than a surf team..."

Deeks looked at Jensen pointedly, saying slowly, "...if I'm understanding this correctly, what makes you so sure that this conversation stays between us: you are aware that I am still employed by the LAPD..."

Jensen smiled in a way that Deeks could only described as predatory, reminding Deeks of the sharks that live in the waters he surfs, while pulling out an envelope and handing it to the detective, "I think you're a man who looks out for himself, who would appreciate a good offer when it was made...and I'm thinking this might be an 'incentive' to consider the offer I'm about to make..."

Deeks looked at the envelope, then up and down the beach before reaching for the envelope and slowly opening it, his eyes raised in surprise as a low whistle escaped him.

He looked up at Jensen, "That is quite an incentive Mr. Jensen...and I have to say—I'm listening..."

"Good," Jensen said. "Oh, and by the way...just so we're clear on who this offer is for—this is an added incentive to be clear which side you would be working for..."

Deeks followed Jensen's line of sight to look down at his own chest...the red dot of a sniper scope showing up clearly against his tanned skin.

_The team tensed as they realized a sniper had their liaison officer targeted center mass—an undeniable kill shot. In Ops, Eric dared a quick glance at the operations manager; her only reaction was a crease across her forehead. _

"_Anyone have eyes on the sniper," Callen ground out._

"_The shot that took out Patton came from over three hundred yards..." Sam reminded as he was scanning the hills across the road._

Looking up and meeting Jensen's eyes, Deeks stepped into Jensen's personal space, his brow furrowed in anger as he said evenly, "I won't make the same mistakes as Ross..."

Jensen looked down when he felt something hard against his chest, seeing a 9mm in the folds of the towel, pressed above his heart, "and just so **we're** clear," the click of the chamber being loaded sounded, even over the comms, "...I don't take kindly to threats...from the PD or my 'potential' business partners...I know how to get a job done..."

Taking a step back, Jensen took in a released a deep breath, "Just so we understand each other...we'll be in touch, Mr. Deeks."

Deeks nodded, a scowl still marring his features, as he watched Jensen make his way back up the beach.

Once out of sight, Deeks let out a shaky breathe and bent over, resting his hands on his knees...

"You alright Deeks," Callen asked.

"Yeah..."

"That was quite a performance Mr. Deeks; lucky for us, you're on our side," Hetty commented; and silently the team agree that Deeks quick actions not only saved his life, but quite possibly, the entire op.

Needing to shake off the near miss he grinned and said cheekily, "you haven't seen the number on this check..."

"They're gonna be watching you a whole lot closer now...we have to be more careful..." Sam interjected, "it they even suspect you of running a scam on them, going to the LAPD..."

"Yeah, big guy, believe me I know..." Deeks replied.

**...ncis la...hawaii 5-0...**

a/n: I hope that conveys how "ruthless" the bad guys are...I wanted them to be scary (and if you can stand the wooden acting-watch the original 5-0 epi with "August March" and see how ruthless /for the 1970's/ he was.


	8. Chapter 8

**SURF'S UP**

/Chapter 8/

a/n: I really and truly hope this is not to overly complicated to follow, 'cause, honestly, this story has gotten so far away from me and my original idea that I'm having a hard time keepin' it all straight myself. This was originally gonna be a Deeks/Eric centered story...

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...**

Over the next two weeks the LA agents had regular debriefs with the 5-0 team, as the 5-0 team continued to watch March and Davenport and the LA team kept their eyes on Deeks as he eased into his undercover with Jensen.

As Gordon Jensen had promised, Ben Bass got a clean background check on Deeks; and Deeks, in return, proved himself to his new employers by steering the LAPD away from some of Mallory and Davenport's "exchanges" of merchandise and rounded up some occasional hired muscle from his undercover contacts for some of Mallory's jobs.

After his near fatal encounter on the beach, the team never let the detective out of their sight as Deeks repeated meetings with Jensen finally led to a face to face, via conference call, with Terrance Davenport himself...

"_I'm impressed, Mr. Deeks, you have proven yourself quite useful In the short time you've been in my employ," Davenport said smoothly, "Mallory says each shipment made it to its destination without a hitch..."_

"_Yeah, about that...I thought I was supposed to be workin' for you, but all I've been doing is runnin' interference for Mallory..." Deeks questioned._

"_Mallory Is one of my primary 'distributors' on the mainland...the smooth running of his operation guarantees a smooth running of mine..." Davenport said, "...and if all goes to plan, there will be regular shipments of merchandise within the next six months..."_

_Frowning, Deeks commented, "that doesn't sound like it's getting me any closer to Hawaii man...the whole point was to get me outa LA...and on the surf team..."_

_Davenport laughed, "Have no fear, you're services will be needed from time to time on the islands, but for now you best serve my purpose right where you are..."_

_Seeing Deeks continued scowl, Davenport asked guardedly, "is that a problem?"_

_The detective heard the subtle threat in the question and grumbled, "as long as I get paid and get to surf somewhere..."_

_Davenport again chuckled, "I look forward to meeting you when you arrive on the islands for the competition..."_

**...ncis la...hawaii 5-0...**

Into the third week of the investigation, Kono came back with a piece of news that further cemented the connection between Davenport and Jensen, as the teams were stumped why a man with a good, high paying job and no criminal record would take up with a ruthless smuggler like Davenport.

"Jensen and Stone are siblings," Kono reported, "well, step siblings...her father married Jensen's mother when they were teenagers...and Jensen didn't take his step-fathers name: the marriage ended about seven years later, and it seems the two stayed in touch."

"Were they ever in trouble before," Callen asked.

"Julia Stone was in and out of juvie a few times, has a few misdemeanor charges on her record throughout her twenties...tended to hang with a tougher crowed...seems her step brother bailed her out a lot over the years—even after their parents divorced." Kono reported.

"So was Jensen playing the 'good' brother or was it something more..." Danny commented.

"So it was Julia Stone who most likely introduced Davenport to Jensen...gave him the idea to use the surf team as a cover," Sam said.

"How's Deeks doing," Danny asked, "the contestants are due on the island at the end of the week for the competition..."

"His cover is solid...had a met and greet with Davenport and he says Mallory is gearing up some kind of shipment that coincides with the trip to Hawaii," Callen reported.

"So they're moving something from the mainland to the islands," Steve questioned, "any idea what?"

"They haven't given him that yet...but he did get that Mallory and Davenport seemed confident that they'll have a new, more secure pipeline between the islands and the mainland in about six months," Callen replied.

"Six months? That's when the new Coral Prince stores are to be opened up and down the California coast...which means regular shipments between Hawaii and the mainland..." Chin reported.

Clapping his hands together, Danny huffed out in frustration, "This is all well and good but it's not getting us any closer to March and the diamonds."

"Think about it...if Davenport proves he has a secure pipeline to move smuggled merchandise through a legitimate company—"Steve started.

"Then he convinces March he can move 20 mill in diamonds using the surf team..." Sam finished.

"That might have been the original plan, but now that the investigation is active again I don't think Marsh is going to be willing to wait six months," Danny commented.

"Maybe he doesn't have to...the stores may not be open for another six months but there will still be regular shipments to the mainland starting in about three to a distribution warehouse," Chin reported as he pulled up information on the table, "and the team's first competition is in South Africa in six weeks and another in Spain three weeks after that..."

The teams nodded as the magnitude of the operation sunk in. They had no idea who or if March had a buyer or buyers for the diamonds nor where the exchanges were likely to take place...realizing this case could take them half way around the world before it was over.

"Then we just have to be prepared for all eventualities..."Hetty interjected.

**...ncis la...hawaii 5-0...**

Two days before the contestants were scheduled to fly out, Deeks received a call from Jensen, "meet me at the LAX cargo hanger in one hour..."

"What's up," Deeks asked as he strolled into the hanger.

"We need help loading up some equipment," Jensen said.

Turns out the "equipment" to be loaded was stolen art...causing Deeks to question sarcastically, "...doesn't exactly blend with the whole 'surfer' motif we got goin' here..."

"That's what these are for," Jensen said, as he uncovered several surf boards.

"Yeah, so, it's just new boards..." Deeks questioned.

Jensen waved Pratt forward, and with a smirk the man grabbed a board on either side a gave an outward pull; the board's top and bottom slid apart revealing a hollowed out section that Jensen then laid the rolled up canvases.

Deeks gave a whistle, "I'm impressed...all these boards got the same surprise inside?"

"We have six boards that are hollowed out and a few other pieces of equipment that can hide larger items," Jensen bragged.

"Sweet deal, no one would think twice about a bunch of gear for a surf team," Deeks commented, "gotta hand it to you...ingenious idea."

"Not mine...my sisters..." Jensen commented off-handedly.

"Smart lady, hope I get to meet her," Deeks said, noting the scowl that crossed Jensen's face.

"I don't think so..."

"Whoa, man," Deeks placated holding up his hands defensively, "...didn't mean nothing by it..."

"Just be here day after tomorrow with Pratt and Richards...oversee the gear being loaded up," Jensen barked out, "flash your badge if need be to make sure this stuff makes it through any check points..."

"Aye, captain," Deeks said cheekily, giving the man an exaggerated salute.

The men parted company less than an hour later. Deeks slid into his jeep, commenting to his watching team, "it's a go..."

**...Hawaii 5-0...NCIS LA...**

a/n: I know, long time coming and short, but at least chapters from here on out will have our teams together in Hawaii...


	9. Chapter 9

**Surfs up**

/./Ch. 9/./

a/n: so, very sorry for the delay in updating...this chapter has not come easy and my muse has been distracted with other projects...

**...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...**

With their last update less than an hour before, the teamswere in place for the second phase of the operation.

Half of the 5-0 team was in place at the airport, having set up surveillance about an hour before the plane from LA was due to arrive. It was the intention of the teams to keep the key players under surveillance, but not interfere. The ultimate goal being the diamonds and not what was in this shipment. They needed to ascertain the next step to the smugglers plans; see if the diamonds would perhaps make an appearance before this case ended up taking them out of the country, something Steve did not want.

Though the LA team certainly had some jurisdictional powers outside the country and he himself still had the powers being a Navy SEAL lent to the position, the rest of his team was another matter. The red tape for any of his team to operate outside of US borders was staggering and he didn't want the accompanying Danny rant that would follow the piles of paperwork it would entail.

His eyes never left the storage hanger at the airport, where he and Danny had set up an hour before. Chin and Kono had eyes on March and the HPD were covering Davenport and Stone. Now, all they had to do was wait for the "bad guys" to make the next move, something the Navy SEAL was not particularly good at doing.

He had seen the plane from LA land about thirty minutes ago and some of the cargo from that plane was only now being off loaded to the warehouse awaiting pick up.

"See anything," Danny asked from his seat in the Camaro...of course, the passenger seat.

"Nothing yet, but they just started off loading the gear and cargo from the hold," Steve commented as he lowered his binoculars.

"So what's the last update," Danny asked.

"Last call from Sam, he reported Deeks, Pratt and Richards are supposed to break off from the other contestants after they make it through baggage claim and customs, retrieve the paintings and meet up with Jensen at the hotel before going to see Davenport," Steve explained.

"Better give HPD the heads up so they can get eyes on our boy when he shows up with our suspects," Danny commented, already dialing the number.

"We'll follow them to the hotel, meet up with the rest of the NCIS team then pass it off to the PD watching Davenport's place while we regroup at HQ," Steve reported.

As Danny finished his call to the HPD, he noted his partner straightening, his binoculars aimed at the north side of the warehouse. Picking up his own binoculars he asked, "What?"

"There, must be Pratt, Richards and Deeks..." Steve said.

"Certainly didn't waste any time, did they," Danny commented, spying the three men making their way inside the large warehouse.

"Must be getting the paintings for their meet with Davenport," Steve commented.

The two 5-0 officers continued to watch through their binoculars to the open hanger doors as the three men stopped at a set of surf boards, Danny gave a little whistle when he say the boards being pulled apart and the rolled up canvas's being removed, "Have to give 'em credit...no one would suspect smuggling anything in a surfboard."

Steve just nodded absently, a movement to the side of the hanger attracting his attention causing him to sit forward, "Danny we got a problem."

"Problem? What..." Danny asked in confusion, looking in the direction that got Steve's attention, to see an older man with a clipboard heading into the warehouse, "damn it... thought we had this area cleared of civilians..."

"Guess someone missed the memo..." Steve commented, as he moved to exit the car.

"Steve, wait...if Davenport regularly smuggles merchandise by plane...maybe this guy is on his payroll," Danny commented, as he exited the car quickly after his partner, "...would explain a civilian in this area..."

Steve reached in the car and pulled out his binoculars, focusing on the newcomer as he made his into the warehouse hanger, commenting seconds later when he saw two of the men reach for guns at the unexpected intrusion, "Don't think so, let's move..."

Without further question, Danny pulled his weapon and followed his partner across the tarmac to the hanger; both ducking for cover seconds later when gunshots were heard from the warehouse hanger.

Moving up quickly and cautiously, they peered into the hanger to see all three 'surfers' with guns drawn and the airport employee on the ground, gasping in pain and shock as he pressed a hand to the bullet wound in his shoulder.

"What the hell...now what," Richards yelled.

"He's seen us," Pratt said, aiming his gun at the injured man on the ground, "only one thing to do..."

Steve and Danny exchanged tense looks, ready to spring into action when Deeks knocked Pratt's gun aside, "You trying to bring the entire airport security down on our ass...you keep shootin' like that they'll hear ya' clear to the terminal, man..."

Pushing Deeks off, Pratt shot back, "we can't have any witnesses..." before again aiming his gun at the man on the ground.

Seeing that the detective had run out of options to protect the civilian, Steve did the only thing available, "5-0—hands where we can see them..."

Danny rolled his eyes but followed his partner, wondering if they had just blown the entire op,"...you heard the man..."

Not to be deterred, the three 'surfer's' immediately dove for cover, two of them opening fire on the 5-0 cops.

"Make a run for the van...I'll hold them off," Deeks directed the two men.

"What? What the hell are you talkin' about...they'll arrest you man..." Pratt shot back, "I say we just take them out and be done with it..."

"I'm a cop remember...I let them take me in, convince them I'm following a lead from a case stateside...a few hours and I can meet up with you," Deeks said.

"I don't like it...bring to much attention on us..." Richards said, shaking his head.

"Hey, I managed to throw the cops off in LA so Mallory could get those shipments out...I can send them chasing their tails here too..." Deeks replied, "you kill two cops and you won't get anywhere with this shipment..."

Not liking it but seeing few options, the two men reluctantly agree.

"Good," Deeks said with a nod, "you two go around that way...I'm gonna get up behind them and draw their fire...you head for the van and don't look back..."

The men separated, and soon Deeks was within several feet of Steve and Danny's cover: carefully noting the two men's position he fired well over their heads and dove back for cover when the two 5-0's turned swiftly and returned fire.

Daring a quick look out of the hanger he noted Pratt and Richards had made it to the hanger's entrance and needed another few minutes to make it to the van: with a put upon sigh he fired off a couple of shots off to the right of the two men.

Both Danny and Steve exchanged confused looks at the wide shots...someone definitely wanted to make sure their shots didn't find their mark.

"Surfer boy...that you...?" Danny hissed loudly.

"Hey 'slick'...Pratt and Richards need to make it to the van...we need to make it look good..." Deeks huffed out, again shooting his weapon off.

Danny obliged by returning a few rounds of his own in Deeks general direction, causing Deeks to squawk indignantly, "hey dude...little close don't 'cha think..."

"What's the plan...?" Steve interjected, as he cast a glance at the two suspects climbing into the van.

"Arrest me..." Deeks said.

"What!" Danny exclaimed.

"They need to see you arrest me...they think I'm a dirty cop on their bosses payroll-you don't, so you've got to treat me like any suspect," Deeks huffed out quickly, his eyes going to the van, "hurry up, they need to see the arrest so I can sell my story later..."

Thinking quickly, Steve said, "Okay...you and Danny exchange another round...I'm gonna come up on you left..." exchanging a quick look with his partner, Steve said, "...on three. One...two...three..."

Danny and Deeks got off a couple more wide shots, while Steve maneuvered around the detectives left and easily took down the "distracted" suspect.

Steve was slapping on the cuffs when all three of them noted the van peeling away from the hanger. To add to the "show", Danny ran after the van and fired off a few rounds.

Coming back to the SEAL and detective, arms waving as he worked himself up to rant mode, Danny asked crossly, "...how did all this not just blow the entire op to hell..."

**...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

Danny and Steve escorted their "prisoner" into 5-0 headquarters, garnering surprised, worried and slightly angry looks from the LA team.

Kensi closed the distance between the three men before they'd made it ten steps through the door, "What happened? Deeks?" looking at Steve, Kensi demanded, "Why is my partner in cuffs?"

"More importantly, why is he here and not on the way to his meet with Davenport," Callen interjected evenly as he eyed his liaison officer critically.

"Steve, what went down out there; you guys alright," Sam asked as he eyed all three men for possible injuries.

"Op got blown to hell...civilian on the field..." Steve started to explain as he undid the cuffs on the detective's wrists, only to be interrupted by Deeks...

Rubbing his wrists to restore circulation, Deeks interjected quickly, "the op is not blown...a little sideways maybe, but we can salvage this..."

"How...explain how this op didn't just go totally south on us-Pratt and Richards saw you get arrested...there not gonna believe that were just gonna let you waltz right out of here," Danny said with some sarcasm, "once March gets wind that one of Davenport's flunkies got nabbed by 5-0 he's gonna back out of the deal...we'll never see those diamonds..."

Making a slight face at the 'flunkies' crack, Deeks replied evenly, "that's exactly what they're gonna believe..."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Sam asked, "how you gonna pull that one off shaggy?"

"Look, it's no secret to Davenport and the others I'm a cop on the take right...that's what they've been relying on for the past month to get Davenport's shipments out of LA...now I just convince Davenport and March I can do the same thing here..." Deeks explained.

"How, this isn't even your jurisdiction," Callen asked.

"Convince March... that _**I**_... have convinced _**5-0... **_that I'm working a case on my own time that just happens to cross with 5-0's...do the same for March here in Hawaii that I did for Davenport in LA," Deeks explained, "...give March something to get him off 5-0's radar..."

"March even suspects you're working with 5-0, he won't hesitate to put a bullet in you..." Steve said with a slight shake of his head as he ran a hand down his face.

With a shrug, Deeks replied, "Then I better be convincing..."

**...HAWAII 5-0...NCIS LA...**

**a/n: I know, another short one, but I really wanted to get out a few updates to my stories over break...and if I have to grade one more third graders report on Native American's I might just go insane**


End file.
